Barbee Shines as Jayhawks Take Second
Oct. 19, 2010
KANSAS CITY, Mo. –
Final Results in PDF Format 
Senior Nate Barbee was not only the highlight of Kansas’ men’s golf team, he was the highlight of the entire Bill Ross Intercollegiate. Barbee finished first among all individuals with a 54 hole score of 213 to help Kansas to a season best, second place finish. The team’s previous best finish was third place at the Colorado Invitational.
Barbee’s win marks the first time a Kansas player has achieved such an accomplishment this season. Barbee was also the last player to win a tournament, finishing in first place at the Kansas Invitational in 2009. As a team, the Jayhawks finished with a score of 886, ten strokes behind winner Central Arkansas. The second round was cut short on Monday due to poor weather conditions. The remainder of the second round and the entire third round were finished on Tuesday.
Barbee got some help from his teammates as well. Sophomores Chris Gilbert and Alex Gutesha each finished with a score of 226 and placed in the top 25. Junior Doug Quinones ended the tournament with a 227 and senior Jeff Bell closed with a 230.
Head coach Kit Grove thought his team played well, but thinks they had room to be even better.
“We did OK,” Grove said. “Obviously we didn’t quite finish in the morning the way we had hoped. I think we ended up 10 over on the last six holes, so we could have been in a little better shape if everyone held it together.”
Grove believed that Barbee’s strong tournament at the Colorado Invitational was key to his victory today.
“Like I’ve said, he’s struggled early in the year but he played better in Colorado,” Grove said. “He’s been really close. It was one of those deals where he needed to get some good rounds for some confidence. He had a 69 in Colorado and that helped him a lot. Getting out and shooting under par on Monday helped him too. He’s playing pretty solid golf right now.”
The Jayhawks have one more tournament to compete in before the fall season comes to a close. The team will travel to Las Cruces, New Mexico to compete in the Herb Wimberly Intercollegiate, October 25-26. Grove believes his team has the chance to do well in their final tournament.
“We feel a lot better,” he said. “Golf is a strange game so you never really know. I think our next tournament is an 18 team tournament, and the field will be about like it was in Colorado. We had three or four guys play there last year so we have a little experience there. We just want to build on what we’ve been doing. The thing that’s been going well for us is we haven’t had to count many rounds above 75 lately. We had a guy play six-over the last five holes today and that just killed us. But other than that, we’ve been doing a good job of keeping our rounds low.”
Barbee’s score of 213 also marks the best 54 hole score any KU individual has put up this season. Jeff Bell’s 216 at the Colorado Invitational was the top score prior. This event also marks the second time this season when three Jayhawks finished in the top 25 individually. Four individuals placed in the top 25 at the Colorado Invitational.
Team Results
1. Central Arkansas- 876
2. Kansas- 886
3. UMKC- 888
4. Northern Iowa- 892
5. Missouri State- 894
Individual Leaders
1. Nate Barbee (Kansas)- 213
2. Daily Young (Missouri State)- 214
3. Viktor Mikaelsson (UMKC)- 216
4. Will Hogan (Missouri State)- 218
Three tied for fifth at 219
Kansas Individuals
1. Nate Barbee- 213
T23. Chris Gilbert- 226
T23. Alex Gutesha- 226
T28. Doug Quinones- 227
T37. Jeff Bell- 230
